Just One Night
by Nikkel
Summary: A terrible storm crashes into Konohoa, and Kakashi happens to get a midnight visitor.


**Just One Night  
><strong>_By Nikkel  
><em>(c) to Masashi Kishimoto  
>1129/2006

* * *

><p>The storm raged down upon the huddled village of Konoha, lightning licking the tall trees and thunder hissing in the dark air. Rain poured and poured, forming muddy puddles so deep that they could pass on as lakes. The tempest had been raging for hours on end, screaming its wrath at the town for utterly no reason. Squalls did not often happen in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, but that didn't mean that they <em>didn't <em>happen. And tonight was the point in time it chose the most to take out its fury on, breaking branches and knocking the shingles off roofs. The stone faces carved into the mountain that seemed to surround Konohagakure even looked worried, seeing the deathly clouds flashing and tearing holes in the endless sky of black.

He turned away from the window, slurping his bowl of hot soup. The house of Kakashi shook as the thunder growled from deep within its throat, threatening one individual to challenge it. The shinobi who was eating his dinner ignored the caveat, not exactly wanting to head straight into action. Instead he let the stew engulf him in soba noodles and spices, celery and carrots thrown in just for fun.

It was rather lonely tonight, as his entire day had been. Kakashi had decided to give Team Seven a break today, so he could spend some quality time by himself. But alas, he hadn't gotten much done. He had done his errands, read several chapters of his book, took a nap, and discovered it was storming so now he was stuck inside. The stew the Jonin had concocted wasn't half bad, as long as it filled his stomach on the angry night. It was like what, eleven or twelve? And here he was, still eating dinner.

Kakashi set his chopsticks down next to the bowl, suddenly feeling not hungry at all. Even if he knew his stomach was empty, his mind certainly wasn't. Thoughts of the past and the future swarmed all around him, tormenting him in the sheer silence. He leaned back in the wooden chair, hands resting in his lap. His chin was ducked down as well, and he could feel his mask on his chin. He carefully pulled it back up, feeling that without it, he could very well be in trouble. Then again, who would come on such an awful evening like this? Nobody ever visited him. Not even Might Guy or Iruka or any of his old friends ever dropped by just for a chat, and if they did, it was to deliver a mission for him to complete.

The lights flickered from the doom outside, and he glanced up at the ceiling, tipping back in his chair. He could see a leak forming, a puddle on the white above him. A careful drop fell and hit him on the nose, and he blinked. Well that certainly wasn't good. Kakashi got up, heading over to his cabinets and getting out a metal pot to catch the water. He could hear the sheets of rain coming down hard and fast, lightning striking the tallest trees and splitting them. Any moment now he knew a tornado would touch down, but there were no visible funnel clouds in the deathly sky. The Copy Ninja wondered what could have angered the weather so much to take out it's fury on Konohagakure.

He sat back down in his chair, sighing heavily. He had pushed his bowl of soup away, no longer in the mood for anything. Somewhere it was flooding, he could tell. And because of the flooding, he and the other ninja would have to clean it up. It was their duty. But if it was still raining, he just might have to cancel practice with Team Seven, which wouldn't be good. Unless he came up with something to do with the tempest…. No, that would be too risky. Brave as he was, Kakashi wasn't about to headstrong out into a storm.

Kakashi raised a hand and drummed his fingers on the wooden table, his soup gone cold. His ears picked up the heavy winds beating against the house, creaking along with the steady drip of water behind him. He knew that without complete silence he would not be able to sleep, and therefore there was no point in him going to bed. For the first time he felt loneliness in his own home. Kakashi half minded the fact that no one visited him, because then he could muse on his own, but he would like someone to keep him company on nights like these. He didn't even have a dog or cat that came to get some scraps of food or a bowl of milk. Nope, no one, just old Hatake Kakashi in his house.

Even if the wind was pounding pretty hard, Kakashi turned his head and set all four legs of his chair on the ground. He glanced over at the door, raising an eyebrow. _Ironic,_ he thought, _I was just thinking of never having a visitor. Guess I'm wrong for once. _Wondering what kind of guest would come to his house on a such a night like this certainly piqued his interest. _However, _he surmised negatively, _it could be a mission. Perhaps someone got lost in the storm?_

Whether it was a mission or not Kakashi was glad that he could get up and have the smallest of excitement for the night. Like the rest of his day, things had not been very exciting. He reached out a hand and hesitantly opened the door, lightning flashing to reveal…

"Anko?"

Without even questioning her appearance, Kakashi instantly wrapped an arm around her to lead her inside, taking her over to the chair he had just recently been sitting in. The ninja was even too exhausted to take off her khaki jacket, now stained and splattered with dark brown mud. Kakashi searched around for something warm to replace the overcoat, and grabbed a spare dark blue sweatshirt that was tossed onto his kitchen counter. He removed the coat, his fingers lightly grazing her skin. She was freezing! How cold was it out there? Kakashi had no time to ask questions as he wrapped the sweatshirt around her, and went into the bathroom to grab a towel to help her get dried off. He went over to the fireplace, lighting a match and tossing it onto the wood. Without speaking he heated up the pot of stew, knowing that every little bit would help.

The Copy Ninja pulled up another chair that had been sitting right next to the stove, looking seriously at Anko. She didn't even look like herself, her lips blue and skin so pale she could be dead. Icicles had formed in her dark hair and were melting onto the wooden table, her breathing ragged and sharp. Her purple eyelids were closed, trying to recover what she had lost. Kakashi glanced down at her fingers, which were also discolored. Her hands were clenched in fists, unable to let go. He could even see where trickles of blood had run, like she had been digging her nails so deep into her palms she bled. Where the forehead protector had been was now hanging drastically around her neck, her clothes sodden with the storm's spit. Anko gritted her teeth, apparently angry over something she certainly didn't have the strength to talk about. With a grunt she tried to stand up, but her knees gave in so that she sat back down in the chair. She made an audible choking noise, suggesting more than one problem.

"I'm stupid, Kakashi… so damn stupid…" The worn kunoichi muttered, shaking. "And it just _happened _to be you that I stumbled upon! Urgh I hate this!" Anko tore away from looking at him, bending over on the other side of her chair. Kakashi did not speak as he watched Anko kneel over out of pity for herself, still hardly able to stand. She grumbled a string of words Kakashi could not understand, but more than likely did not want to hear. His eyes took a quick peek over at her overcoat, which was lying soggy on the floor, ruining the perfectly sanded rosewood. He picked it up and decided that since he was not in a hurry anymore, hung it up and wiped the wet spot it had formed with a dry rag.

"Is that all you can do?" Anko snapped, whipping over her shoulder to glare at him. He shrugged, blowing on the spot so that it remained completely dry. He heard Anko huff out of irritation, banging her fist on the table. A normal man would wonder why they had let someone like Anko inside on a blustery night, but Kakashi was not a normal man.

He got up from the spot and tended to the pot on the stove, seeing that it was boiling. He grabbed a clean bowl and spoon, dipping it into the stew and pouring it into the bowl. Walking back to the table he picked up a pair of chopsticks, setting it in front of Anko. She looked up, suddenly silent from her cursed rants. Her eyes were open, revealing that they were bloodshot and that she had been up most of the night and probably the night before as well. Kakashi awaited in his seat, and it was hard to tell which direction he was looking since there was only one eye visible to the public. Slightly open mouthed, Anko twisted her head at the Jonin, confused by herself and him.

Her chapped hands reached out to the bowl of soup, not even using the chopsticks. She was like a dog, lapping the stew up so hungrily that Kakashi even questioned if she had been taking care of herself. She was definitely not in a good condition, which only worried him.

In only a few mere minutes did Anko set the bowl down, it completely empty. She looked at the Jonin expectedly, as if to ask for more. He nodded, understanding and making her think that he had read her mind. He filled it up again and set it in front of her, and this time Anko picked up the chopsticks and ate a piece of potato versus how she had been wolfing the food down before.

"You don't make any sense. Here I come on one of the worst nights of the year, bitching my mouth off, taking advantage of you and your home, dripping wet, and you… you _help me?" _Anko stated, sounding indeed baffled. "I mean, I didn't even say hello or explain what I'm doing here! I should just leave now, I've just made another stupid mistake, I shouldn't even be here, I should just go home and die." Near the end, Kakashi had noticed that she was no longer talking to him, but herself. She stood up and practically knocked the chair over, throwing his sweatshirt on the floor like it didn't even matter. Kakashi sat back and watched as she stumbled to the door, occasionally tripping because she felt so weak.

Her hand hovered above the doorknob, hesitating. She was still shaking and gritting her teeth, trying to stand strong. Fingers closed around the knob, and prepared to twist it and open it, and Anko only found it more difficult when she felt a body behind her.

"I'm not letting you go back out into that storm. It could kill you." Kakashi's soft voice whispered in her ear, low and calming.

"I rather would be dead with the decisions I've made in my life." Anko's hand twisted the doorknob. It would only take one simple movement to open the door.

"You made a good decision by coming to me. Even if it was an accident." Kakashi spoke again, and Anko's hand fell from the knob. She waited there for several seconds, Kakashi's warm, gloved hands on her shivering shoulders. She lowered her head, her hair shadowing her face. "Okay." She whispered, audible enough for Kakashi to hear. "I'll stay."

The two walked back over to the table, the two empty bowls city side by side. The two ninja stared at them, and Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets out of habit. "So…" he waited for something to happen, glancing off to the side as usual. Anko seemed to do the same, her hands on her hips. She was still rather reluctant that she had stayed, however, her feelings were now in quite the jumble she couldn't help but try to block them out.

"If you don't mind, I think I'm going to need some new clothes… I'm kinda wet." For the first time throughout the entire night she smiled at him, and lifted up her arms to show that she was still dripping. Kakashi nodded, and pointed at his room, where even from where they were standing she could see clothes littered everywhere. She headed toward it, Kakashi following her. She stopped before she entered, one hand on the doorframe.

"A gentleman as you are when it comes to guests, _Kakashi, _you're a perverted gentleman." Anko joked, and Kakashi's face turned red. "Me?" he questioned, pointing a finger at himself. "What could you mean?" Anko knew that he was just playing around and she rolled her eyes, entering his room and then shutting the door.

Kakashi's room was lit by several lanterns hanging from the ceiling, dimly lit so that his everything was touched with a pleasant golden color. Anko stood next to his bed, ruffled sheets and all. She let her hand touch the mattress, almost smiling at the thought of him sleeping there and waking up lazy every morning. Red draperies also hung from the ceiling, adding to the nice and cozy look. On his nightstand she saw two photos, almost looking identical. One was of his own team when he was young: Obito, Rin, and the Fourth Hokage. The second picture was of Team 7, his current team: Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Any team that Kakashi had been in was renown throughout Konoha, so it was no wonder he took pride in that.

Gazing up from his bed Anko saw a closed window, hail beating hard against it. She shivered at the thought that she had been out there and directed her attention to his room, which also seemed to serve as a library. The corner of his nightstand and between the window was a rack of books upon books, along with several scrolls that probably held directions to specific jutsus. Past the window was another stack of informational texts. Among the books was Kakashi's favorite series, _Icha Icha Paradise._ Anko continued to smirk to herself, knowing that once Kakashi picked up one of those novels, he would never put it down.

On the last wall, the one closest to the door, was a desk that had tons upon tons of loose papers stacked up. Above that was a huge map of all the countries, different colored tacks standing for the missions and places he had been. Not at all to Anko's surprise were more textbooks, some of them half open to reveal specific histories of Konohagakure. Pencils and pens lie discarded left and right, shavings all over the ground and the garbage can next to the desk overflowing with crumpled up papers. Tacked up along the giant map were more pictures, and Anko guessed that he liked to look at those whenever he felt whatever he was working on was too frustrating. Kakashi's room was definitely interesting, with a master bathroom extending to the back of the room. No one would have guessed that Kakashi would keep such a cozy abode like this, judging from the plainness of the rest of his house.

Before Anko knew it, Kakashi was rapping his knuckles on the door. "Uh, Anko?" came his voice in questioning. "Can you hurry up? I kind of have to, uh… you know…" In other words, he had to use the bathroom. Quickly looking around, Anko snatched up some clothes and shed her own, wanting to make it look like she had made her stay worthwhile.

The door swung open before Kakashi, and his eyebrows certainly shooting up. Anko's elbow rested on the door frame, her wrist against her temple. She had picked up yet another one of Kakashi's sweatshirts, but that wasn't what had caught Kakashi's eye. Okay, maybe a little, but it was the fact that she was wearing his striped blue boxers that made him really look. She had taken down her ponytail, seeing no point in keeping it up when it was wet. Her left foot was stuck against her right knee, almost appearing provocative.

"Well… _that's _certainly a… ahem… a nice outfit…" Kakashi said, coughing between because he wasn't so sure on what to make of her. Anko raised one of her own eyebrows, her eyes full of naughtiness.

"I'll meet you back in the kitchen." Anko teasingly let her finger slide under Kakashi's throat, and he stared after her as she sat down in the chair. He then turned his back on her and closed the door, going to take care of business.

Several minutes later and the flushing of a toilet Kakashi returned, hands still stuck in his pockets like he had never moved. He saw Anko at the table, nervously tapping her fingers together. He sat down in his own chair, wondering what would happen next.

"I… Kakashi…" Anko began again, false laughter in her voice. Much as she enjoyed teasing him like she had she knew that they could never have a relationship together- it was the Code of the Shinobi. She glared down hard at the table, clenching her fists once again and gritting her teeth. She was still very upset over what she had done, and how stupid she had suffered for it.

"I decided I could lead a team of ninja and attack the Sound Village. For my own ambitions. I didn't even tell the Hokage of my plans. I just went. And I hardly got out of my own village. I ended up here." Anko finally spilled, feeling very selfish for her acts indeed. Upon act did she put her head down into her arms, not wishing for Kakashi to see her break down. This was not what ninja were supposed to do! She was supposed to be strong and emotionless, silent and deadly, but she was nothing but an inconsiderate fool. She had gone out without even thinking, wishing to attack Orochimaru's home village for her own ideas. She hadn't even thought of the storm or the consequences.

Kakashi waited, mulling over and taking in what she had said. He could hear her sobbing and instantly felt sorry for her, even if it was a rather idiotic choice. Not even Naruto would have picked such a mission. Kakashi did not want to point this out, but would rather focus on her reasoning for going out on such a night as this and why she would go after the Sound Village. He asked just that.

"Why? Well, everyone knows that nobody expects an attack during a storm. And this storm that we're having now, could last for days, so I figured that if I attacked the Sound Village, they would be weak and not expect it… Then I could probably take Orochimaru down myself… god, how stupid I am! I didn't even take a legalized team with me! And they probably chickened out anyway…" Anko explained, and only intrigued Kakashi even more. Anko hadn't looked up from bowing her head, still attempting to hold back her tears.

Silence passed between them, the water from the ceiling dripping down into the bucket. Kakashi watched as it was nearing the rim, and got up from his seat to pick it up and drain it. He dumped the rainwater into the sink, it splashing on the counter. He then returned the bucket to its place beneath the drip, the puddle on the ceiling gradually getting bigger. Darn. If it got any bigger, that was when Kakashi knew that he would have to fix the roof. Enough shingles had come off enough already.

"Do you remember that one summer, Kakashi? That one where Orochimaru betrayed Konoha?" Anko questioned, wiping her face and looking at Kakashi, who was staring up at the ceiling, fists on his hips.

"I remember many summers, Anko. And that one in particular. Why do you ask?" he said, and Anko focused her attention on the now empty bucket.

"Before he betrayed the village… I was one of his followers. He taught me all kinds of forbidden jutsu, some even the Hokage doesn't even know. I thought he would become the next great Hokage, and when he didn't, but betrayed Konoha… I… betrayed him and stood for my country. And I ask you- how am I supposed to go on, knowing the fact that I once looked up to a vile person such as Orochimaru? It still haunts me to this day, which is I guess why I made that stupid mission to go out and get him for myself…"

Anko once again laughed at herself, sarcastic in every way. Kakashi did not find her situation funny, however, and sat in his chair again.

"Let me tell you something, Anko." Kakashi said. She was listening, wanting to know what he had to say.

"What makes you think that all ninja don't suffer what you do? When I was only twelve I had one of my best friends murdered right in front of me, and as a gift for becoming a Jonin, gave me the most precious item in his family line: his Sharingan eye." Kakashi said, looking down at his own hands that were twirling. He continued on. "And what about Naruto? He's so young, and even he's seen the worst of crimes. If you haven't noticed, most of the bad things that happens to us is in childhood, and it lasts for the rest of our lives."

Anko was quiet again. She took a chopstick and began to chew on the end of it, and then absent mindedly playing with it. She didn't look at Kakashi, and then said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't be sorry." Kakashi filled in. "In order to be a good shinobi, you must ignore the past. No matter what happened, you still have one goal to fulfill, and that is to protect the village. Without us, invaders can come and enslave us or something. We don't want that to happen."

"But how can you live if you're always so dragged down?" Anko answered, certainly feeling this.

Kakashi rubbed his chin. "Well…" he began. "Think of Naruto. He's got a demon sealed inside him, and didn't have a home for most of his life. Without being a ninja, he would be nothing now. Same with the rest of us."

"You're right." Anko finally realized, and stood up. Kakashi looked at her, her palms on the table as she leaned over. "Without being a ninja, I bet some of us wouldn't even exist. And it's a hard job. Somebody's gotta do it!" she smiled, and Kakashi laughed. It was always nice to see her smile.

"It's weird. You remind of a Sasuke-Naruto package in one." Kakashi joked, thinking of how opposite his students were. Anko shrugged, and leaned back in her chair to gaze out the black window. Not that there was any point in looking outside it. All she saw was void of darkness outside, the world occasionally flashing to reveal demonic-looking figures of rain. The idea that she had been out there over a half hour ago no longer made her think of how awful she was, but how lucky she was to come to Kakashi's door.

Without even realizing what was going on, Anko looked up and found Kakashi above and behind her, looking perfectly happy. She smiled back at him as he rubbed her shoulders, feeling very relaxing indeed. He certainly was gentlemen when it came down to situations in which pleasing women was in order. She wondered if he had always been like this. Well, excusing the fact that he was a pervert at times, of course. In fact…

Anko looked back up at Kakashi, meeting his single eye. She blinked slowly, choosing her words rather wisely. "You know, _Kakashi..."_ Anko heavily emphasized on the word, meaning for it to sound hot and sexy. She saw his eyebrow raise. Obviously, it was working, so she continued on.

"You're not in a… _relationship, _are you?" and Kakashi shrugged rather casually. "Not that I know of. Why?" he leaned in closer, their noses nearly touching. "You… _interested?"_

Anko shook her head and stood up, arms crossed and back to him. "No." she simply stated, clear and true all the way through. Kakashi flinched, not believing what he had heard. He thought she was interested in him! What was going on with her? Was she meant to confuse him? And things only got worse when she looked over her shoulder, tantalizing grey eyes boring into his own. She had that mischievous look on her face, and he leaned back, crossing his own arms.

"Is that how you want it, then?" he questioned as she began to walk around the house, about a size of fifty square feet with hardwood floors. His eye watched as Anko eventually walked behind him, staring at his backside. He didn't move, wondering what was going through her head. He had the thought of revealing his Sharingan eye and cheating, but that wouldn't have been fair. Anko's arms locked around his waist, leaning up on her tiptoes and whispering into his ear.

"I know exactly what I want. Do you know what I want?" she asked in a husky voice, forcing Kakashi to think the way he does. However, she was known for playing tricks, and so he decided to go with them. He was, afterall, a trick master as well, and he just had to pull a few things of his own, didn't he? His arms remained crossed and he could see her face out of the corner of his eye, so close to his own.

"Mitarashi Anko… I'm disappointed in you. We're ninja. Any kind of relationship we have isn't allowed by shinobi law. That is, if we want to become good ones, am I right?" Kakashi fired, not wanting things to get _too_ far on the first few minutes.

Anko whistled softly in his ear, chuckling. "It's just one night, Kakashi. Think about it. _Just one night."_ She toyed, and Kakashi sighed, turning around so that he could now hold Anko by her waist. He then pressed her against his own body, her hands coming up to his chest as the two glared roguishly at one another, both seeing a challenge.

"I suppose so. But…" Kakashi sucked in a breath as he felt her leg up against his thigh, causing him to screw up his sentences for a few seconds. He also had to keep in mind that she was probably just wearing his boxers. "There is a catch."

Anko leaned back for a second, not expecting this, and then she leaned forward again like there was nothing wrong. "What?" she demanded, battering her eyelashes just to taunt him. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, now being the leader of the game.

"One kiss. And one kiss only. Nothing else." He stated, and Anko took a step back, grinning. "Fine then." She decided, and reached out to hold his hand and lead him to his room. He didn't move.

"What did I just say?" he said, not moving from the spot. He knew what Anko wanted to lead on to, but he wouldn't let her. To be honest, he was actually more loyal to being a ninja than his own, personal interests. Anko tugged on his hand again, saying, "You just said one kiss. You never specified when, where, or how." She said coolly, and this was when Kakashi finally realized what he had to do to win against Anko.

Kakashi reached out a hand and snatched her by shirt collar, seizing her toward him and yanking down his mask. Anko, shocked by his movement, felt her eyes grow wide as she met the naked face of the copy ninja, and only more jolted when his lips met hers, jaws hitting one another and teeth mashing. Anko closed her eyes tight, kind of not wishing to see all of Kakashi's face. It was actually more appealing that she couldn't see it, and made her only want him more. The two ninja encircled one themselves in the other's arms, not letting go as the passion in their kiss burned with intensity.

For her side of the kiss, Anko felt her fingers dig into the weaves of his sweatshirt, gripping him tightly, using her other arm to lock around his neck and make sure that he wouldn't let go. She could feel his hand on the nape of her own neck, pushing her head up to keep them bound together. She could taste hunger in him, along with other various emotions Anko just wanted to grasp all at once. He was not quick and sloppy like some boys she had kissed when she was younger were, or even some of the men she had dated in the past. No, Kakashi was serious and brimming with maturity, putting his heart and soul into who he kissed, which at that moment, was Anko.

There was a break of cold air between the two shinobi, Anko breaking away, breathing heavily. Her wrists lie on Kakashi's shoulders, holding onto him so she wouldn't fall down. He raised an eyebrow, silently pulling up his mask as she re-gathered her thoughts. He hoped she was satisfied.

And she was. So satisfied, in fact, that Anko meant to lean in and kiss him again, when Kakashi placed a finger on her lips. "Only one, kiss, remember?" he teased, and Anko huffed, glaring at him and taking a step back. She crossed her arms, eyes slitted.

"You bastard…" Anko muttered, and Kakashi knew that she was just joking. She shook her head and picked her coat up off the rack, beginning to head toward the door.

"Woah, wait." Kakashi stopped her like he had before, not wanting her to leave. "I'm not letting you go out there. You can sleep in my room the rest of the night." Kakashi offered, knowing that her home was on the other side of the village. Anko halted, and sighed.

"Just because of one kiss, doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with you, Kakashi. I'm disappointed." Anko shook her head, crossing her arms like she knew it all along. Kakashi jumped, not expecting this. "What?" he yelled, finding what she had just said unbelievable. He watched as the smile remained on those lips he had just kissed, and sighed. He should have known that Anko was going to say something like that.

Anko giggled and began to walk back toward his room, punching him playfully in the shoulder. "'Night." She said, and Kakashi nodded in return. He watched her as she went back to his room, still noting the fact that she was wearing his clothes and seemed perfectly fine after their little "talk".

Kakashi grabbed a sleeping bag from the closet, laying it down in front of the fireplace, which only had cinders now. He laid down on it, stretching out with his hands behind his head so he could stare at the ceiling. In only a few mere hours he would have to get up and meet Team Seven again for training, knowing that the rain had definitely let up and it was okay for things to happen the next day. But even if the storm was gone for the rest of the night, Kakashi had not wanted Anko to walk back to her house. It wasn't the fact that she was teasing him, but more of her company. Her company was what Kakashi valued, and it was that he was satisfied for.

Anko herself had been thinking almost the same thing. She just "happened" to stumble into his house. If it had been someone else, she would probably still be feeling bad and very depressed. Now… she felt safe, wrapped in the sheets Kakashi slept in every night, like a security blanket. Anko turned her head, buried in blankets and pillows, seeing the large window before her. She smiled to herself, closing her eyes.

It had stopped raining.


End file.
